Posts Tagged ‘movies’

I went to dinner and a movie with my girlfriends last night. It was the midnight showing of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the film adaptation of the second novel in Stephanie Meyer‘s four-part series, and, yes, we were among hordes of fangirls.

I don’t know what was more awesome: the two hours of girl talk throughout dinner or the deliciously bronzed and buffed Quileute werewolves on the big screen. Decisions, decisions.

There is one thing I am sure of, however, and it is that I am no longer fit to horse around until 3 a.m. on a weeknight.

I watched a movie a few days ago that could serve well as an extended, commercial Public Service Announcement.

If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend you watch “Lars and the Real Girl,” written by Nancy Oliver, who also was a writer for one of my favorite TV shows, “Six Feet Under.” Not only is the plot of “Lars” outstanding, but the acting performances are perfect and the music is beautifully fitting.

People could learn so much from the film. It encapsulates feelings of grief, trauma, awkwardness, patience, compassion, acceptance and love.

Three days after watching it, I still can’t stop thinking about it, and I wonder why there aren’t more flicks like it, where all people are good, where there’s no battle between hero and villain. “Lars” is endearing and tender and instills in us the faith that we can be cured with kindness.

Without giving too much away, the movie is about an introverted man named Lars who quasi-lives with his brother, Gus, and Gus’ wife, Karin. Just around the time the couple find out they are pregnant, Lars introduces them to his girlfriend, Bianca â€” a life-sized sex doll made of silicone. But Bianca isn’t a sex toy for Lars; she is his girlfriend â€” he talks to her, cares for her and loves her like a dear friend. This obviously alarms Gus and Karin over their loved one’s mental well-being, and the situation also threatens their comfortable, perfect life. The remainder of the film focuses on Lars’ recovery from whatever illness he’s enduring. While he works to better himself with the help of Dr. Dagmar, his family and townspeople work to better themselves.

This film is a testament to the healing powers of love and compassion, two traits that everyone â€” myself included â€” could stand to solidify. But most importantly, it shows just how counterproductive rejection and judgment can be.

When I looked at the most recent box office figures, I was astonished to see that “Iron Man” grossed more than $100 million dollars in its opening weekend. The second best top seller was “Made of Honor,” bringing in $14 million. That’s quite a gap between No. 1 and No. 2.

I have yet to see “Iron Man,” but its popularity got me wondering: Do Americans want to be saved? What is it about superhero movies that has us coming out in droves, handing over nine bucks to the high schooler behind the counter who knows the ugly truth behind the “butter” in the buttered popcorn?

All movies have heroes, but not all of them are as super as Superman, Batman, X-Men or Spider-Man, to name the most popular. These characters have a fan base that is hard to match, let alone rival.

So what’s behind the fanaticism? Could it be a cry for help?

With the state of the nation in so much despair, it makes sense that we’d want superhuman powers to solve our problems.

How cool would it be if Superman were our next president? What if Wolverine, Rogue, Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men were our indestructible soldiers on the battlefield? Spidey, the bookish guy that he is, would be perfect for the top seat at the Federal Reserve, where he can solve this damn credit crisis. Batman could help us find Bin Laden and those tricky weapons of mass destructions that have eluded us for so long. And maybe all of the above could convince us that we’re just as strong and capable of helping humanity.